


this surprise ending i'm depending on

by cjmasim



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: (aka lindy isn't traded), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Carolina Hurricanes, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, The Canes Exchange 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-07-25 19:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16203710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmasim/pseuds/cjmasim
Summary: "I did some reading, and - well," Elias stops. "There are only two things that can prevent an NHL GM from trading someone.""You don't have a no-trade clause," Victor says. "What's the other one?"Elias looks down, and Victor notices that he's blushing. What could possibly be embarrassing about - ?"Dating," Elias blurts out. "If a player is dating someone else on the team, they can't trade him."





	this surprise ending i'm depending on

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LoggedOff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoggedOff/gifts).



> Thank you to the mods of the Canes Exchange! This was a lot of fun to participate in <3 
> 
> If you or someone you know personally is a character in this fic, it's probably best for both of us if you don't read it. 
> 
> The title comes from Story of Another Us by 5sos. 
> 
> Enjoy!

It's early in the evening, the sun not even having set yet, but Victor has almost fallen asleep when he's jolted awake by pounding on his door.  
   
Well, maybe _pounding_ is a slight exaggeration, but he's tired, and he hadn’t been expecting anyone.  
   
Whoever's there knocks again, louder this time, and Victor pulls himself off the couch with a sigh. He stretches his good arm, taking his time before finally opening the door.  
   
"Finally!" It's Elias, and Victor admits that he's a little surprised. Elias didn't normally go knocking on his teammates' doors without asking - he had been expecting Jeff or Hanny.  
   
"You couldn't text me?" Victor asks.  
   
"It's important," Elias says, not actually answering the question. "Can I come in?"  
   
Victor moves away from the door, letting Elias into his house. Elias heads straight to the living room and sits on the couch, moving aside the blanket Victor had been under. Victor sits next to him, curiosity growing as Elias doesn't fill the silence like he usually would when it's just the two of them. Once he sits, Elias speaks.  
   
"I got a call from Waddell just now," Elias says. "They're thinking of trading me."  
   
"What?" Victor says. "They can't do that."  
   
Elias laughs humorlessly. "The contract talks haven't been going well so far, and they're concerned. I told him we have the whole summer, but he said there's someone they really want to trade for, and - I guess I'm just a good asset."  
   
"That's not true," Victor cuts in. "I mean," he stops. "Technically it's true; you're a great player, so I guess you're a good asset, but - you don't want to leave, right?"  
   
"Of course not," Elias says. "This has become like home. And you, and Jeff, and Brock, and all the guys - I don't ever want to leave."  
   
"Fuck," Victor sighs. "This isn't right. You're one of our most promising players, they can't just - fuck. Fucking Karlsson."  
   
"What makes you so sure it's Karlsson?" Elias asks. His eyes widen. "Oh no."  
   
"God, if they really send you to Ottawa, I swear I'll…" Victor trails off. He isn’t sure what he would do, but the idea of Elias going to that mess of a team makes his blood boil.  
   
They sit in silence for a moment, and Victor takes the time to think about what Elias told him. Elias is one of his best friends on the team, has been since the beginning, and the idea of having to play against him, to only see him two or three times a year, almost makes him want to cry, or throw up, or scream, or maybe just all three.  
   
"There is one thing…" Elias says softly.  
   
"What?"  
   
"I did some reading, and - well," he stops. "There are only two things that can prevent an NHL GM from trading someone."  
   
"You don't have a no-trade clause," Victor says. "What's the other one?"  
   
Elias looks down, and Victor notices that he's blushing. What could possibly be embarrassing about - ?  
   
"Dating," Elias blurts out. "If a player is dating someone else on the team, they can't trade him. It's in the fine print of the CBA but it's there, has been since the last lockout, and - I can't think of anything else."  
   
"Oh… wow," Victor breathes. This is not what he had been expecting. Granted, he hadn't actually had any idea what Elias might be about to say, but he certainly never would have guessed this. "When did you look all this up?"  
   
Elias blushes even deeper, his face nearing the color of the Hurricanes t-shirt he's wearing. "Just, uh, you know, something to read in the bathroom, I guess."  
   
Victor isn't sure he believes him - he really couldn't find anything better to read on the toilet than the goddamn _Collective Bargaining Agreement_? - but he says nothing.  
   
Elias clears his throat, looking back up at Victor even though his blush has barely faded. "Anyway," he says. "My only hope to be able to stay here is to date one of my teammates. Ideally, I'd pick someone who's not also potentially being traded, but if the media is anything to go by - "  
   
"It's not," Victor says.  
   
"- then the only option there would be Seabass," Elias continues, "and I'm not – I’d rather not do that. But if I got a call, and you didn't, then that must mean - "  
   
"That I'm safe," Victor finishes for him. He looks at Elias, who looks away as soon as he meets his eyes, and realizes just what he's asking. "Wait," he says, eyes widening. "You want to date me?"  
   
"Yeah," Elias says, barely audible, but Victor hears him. "Fake date, though,” he adds, louder now. “And I promise it's not because you're the only other out player on the team. It's because - well - you’re my best friend, and I trust you."  
   
Victor isn't quite sure what to do with this information. He's never really thought about Elias in that way - sure, Victor has dated guys before, and the team knows he's bi, but the thought of dating a teammate has never even occurred to him, not since his early teenage years, anyway. He has always thought of it as taboo, even if no one explicitly says so, but if there's a rule about it in the CBA, then surely it must be okay, right?  
   
"Sorry," Elias says, getting up to leave, and Victor realizes he should say something.  
   
"Wait!" He starts, and Elias stops moving. "Don't leave." Elias sits back down.  
   
"Look," he says, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"  
   
"I'll do it," Victor says.  
   
"What?"  
   
"I said I'll do it," Victor repeats. "If pretending to be your - your boyfriend is what it takes to make sure you stay here, then I'll put everything I have into it."  
   
"Oh," Elias says.  
   
They sit in awkward silence for a moment, and Victor pretends to be looking at his phone, knowing that Elias is probably too embarrassed to try to speak right now. If he had been the one asking, he definitely would be.  
   
"Thank you," Elias says eventually, and he seems to have calmed down. He's no longer blushing, anyway, and he meets Victor's gaze. “I know it’s not ideal, but I’m really grateful.”  
   
"Anytime," Victor says, and is surprised at how much he means it. He doesn't want Elias to get traded - obviously - but this is really going out of his way to make sure it doesn't happen. Jeff's name is always in the trade rumors, especially as of late, but he hadn't asked Victor to help him, and they were almost as close as Victor and Elias. Does that mean anything? Victor doesn't think it does; he and Elias are just really good friends, and they're both already out to the team, so there's really no harm in pretending to date each other. Sure, maybe their teammates will be worried when they break up, but it won't be awkward since it will have never been real all along.  
   
Right?  
   
Victor wouldn't say that he _likes_ Elias, not like that, but - well. He's one of the nicest hockey players Victor's ever met, his humor is bubbly and infectious, he _is_ very attractive, and he’s already his best friend on top of that. It certainly isn't a hardship to date him.  
   
He's not sure he would do the same for Jeff, even if he had asked, but Victor doesn't really want to think about what that might mean.  
   
"We should talk about this," Elias says, cutting into Victor's thoughts. "We can't just go tell the team that we're dating now. They're going to ask questions."  
   
"So you're saying we need a backstory?" Victor asks, and Elias nods.  
   
"It doesn't have to be anything complicated," Elias says. "We just need to keep it as close to the truth as possible so it's easy to remember."  
   
"You have much experience lying?" Victor teases.  
   
Elias blushes a little. "Anyway, we can just say we've been close friends for years and eventually, we realized that things had changed between us. How about we say March? That gives it enough time to be serious enough to tell people without being so long that they'll wonder why we haven't already told them."  
   
"Sure," Victor agrees. "Sounds good to me. Any particular date?"  
   
Elias shrugs. "It'd have to be before your surgery. March 15th?"  
   
"Fifteen is easy enough to remember," Victor says. "And that makes it almost a month. Let's do that, then."  
   
"Alright," Elias says. "March 15th it is. I guess we need to actually tell management."  
   
"Yeah," Victor says. "Right away, actually. Tomorrow morning, or should we call now just to be safe?"  
   
"I'd say tomorrow morning," Elias says. "Waddell will want to wait until the playoffs end, and it'll be weird if I call him back now but didn't say it earlier. I can just say I didn't want to tell him in person."  
   
"Sounds good," Victor says. "Should we practice holding hands and - " He cuts himself off, having taken his sentence to a place he hadn't even thought about. How far is this charade going to go? Are they going to have to actually kiss and do more than just _say_ they're dating? How long is it going to last?  
   
"I don't think we need to practice that," Elias says. "It's pretty simple. But we should discuss boundaries."  
   
"Yes," Victor says, cringing a little at the use of the word "boundaries". The discussion is necessary, yes, but something about this whole arrangement is starting to feel a little strange. Which, granted, he realizes it probably should have felt strange from the start.  
   
"So, uh," Elias starts. "Thoughts on kissing?"   
"Oh my God," Victor laughs. "You sound like a creepy sex ed teacher."  
   
"Shut up," Elias says, and now he's laughing too. Once they both quiet down, he speaks again. "This is serious."  
   
"I don't know," Victor finally answers. "I haven't really thought about it. But we don't need to kiss in front of management tomorrow, do we?"  
   
"Oh, God, no," Elias says, laughing again. "They'd just trade both of us. We won't have to do anything more than holding hands to sell it. But we'll have to keep it up for a while, at least until - well."  
   
"How long should this last?" Victor asks. "I mean, are you ever really safe from being traded? But we can't just keep this up forever, right?"  
   
"I'll try to get a no-trade clause this summer," Elias says after a moment. "If I do, we'll just keep it up for a couple more months to make sure no one suspects anything, and we can just have a clean, friendly breakup."  
   
Victor nods. "And if you don't?"   
"I don't know," Elias says.  
   
"How about this?" Victor suggests. "If you don't get a no-trade clause, we'll just keep dating indefinitely, until one of us finds someone else and wants to be with them for real."  
   
Elias doesn't say anything.  
   
"Or until one of us starts to feel like looking for someone?" Victor amends his suggestion.  
   
"Yeah," Elias says, finally. His voice is hesitant, though Victor isn't quite sure why. "That sounds okay."  
   
"Great," Victor says. "And for the record, if it's going to go on for a few months, we'll probably have to kiss at some point. We do have that concert, and - oh, hey, should I be taking you on dates?"  
   
"Um," Elias squeaks. "I guess? Yeah, yeah, we - we probably should."  
   
"We have to see each other during the summer, too," Victor says. "Post some pictures."  
   
"Okay," Elias says. "We're not too far from each other, this - this is fine."  
   
"Yeah, of course," Victor says. "Hey, this might be a little bit… unconventional, but we're going to make the most of it, right?"  
   
"Definitely," Elias says, smiling faintly. "I should probably head back home, but I'll see you tomorrow."  
   
"Good night," Victor says, and Elias returns it before he leaves.  
   
Victor gets ready for bed, being even more tired than earlier, and as he does, he wonders just what he's gotten himself into.  
   
-  
   
The next morning, just as they'd agreed, Victor and Elias have a meeting with Waddell and Brind'amour. It had been on short notice, but Elias had been sure to emphasize the importance of it, so they were able to find the time.  
   
"You ready?" Elias asks as they approach the door to Brind'amour's office.  
   
"Sure," Victor says. He takes Elias' hand in his own - the first time they've tried that, and Victor has to admit that their hands fit quite nicely together - and opens the door.  
   
"Oh," Waddell says, not bothering to hide his surprise.  
   
"Hello, boys," Brind'amour greets them, though his raised eyebrow says that he is awaiting an explanation. They each return his greeting, then Elias begins explaining.  
   
"I wanted to tell you last night, but I didn't think it was the kind of thing to do over the phone, but, uh, Victor and I are dating."  
   
"It's only started recently," Victor adds. "We haven't told anyone else yet."  
   
"Okay," Brind'amour says. "The organization and I fully support you, and if you run into any issues or have any desire to go public, you can always talk to me. Though I do ask why this was so urgent, especially if you haven't told anyone else."  
   
"It's because of that clause in the CBA, right?" Waddell asks, then turns to Brind'amour to explain. "I let Lindy know last night, and you know that clause?"  
   
"Ah," Brind'amour says, nodding. "In that case…" he motions to Waddell to continue.  
   
"We won't be trading you," he says to both of them. "And you have my full support as well."  
   
"Thank you," Elias says, and Victor echoes him.  
   
-  
   
Later that week, they go to a concert with Brock, Jeff, and Nordy. They'd had this planned for a while now, but it was originally supposed to be just a night out with the guys, nothing too serious.  
   
Now, of course, it's going to be the night they begin to tell their teammates. Elias had been hesitant about doing it tonight, saying that he'd rather just tell Brock and Jordan and Nordy and maybe the Finns, and get everyone else later, but Victor felt Jeff should be the first to know, since he's especially close to both of them. Elias hadn't liked that idea - why, he wouldn't say - so they had had to compromise, which somehow meant telling three teammates at once.  
   
"This is a bad idea," Elias groans. "What if it just gets awkward?"  
   
"It'll be fine," Victor reassures him for at least the fifth time tonight. "They're all cool guys, and we're not going to be doing any PDA, so there's no reason it should be awkward."  
   
Elias opens his mouth, ready to protest once again, but before he can speak the other guys walk up to them.  
   
"Lindy, Rasker!" Jeff yells, pulling them each in for a bro hug. Brock and Nordy do the same, and once they've all exchanged greetings, they pose for an Instagram picture, getting a stranger to take the photo. They make conversation; the doors haven't opened yet, so there's nothing else to do. Victor lets it go on for a little while, but knowing that Elias isn't going to bring up the thing they're actually supposed to be talking about, he does it himself.  
   
"Hey, guys," he says, getting everyone's attention. "Lindy and I actually have something to tell you all."  
   
"Oh shit, you're getting _married_?" Jeff asks, yelling and high-fiving Brock. He _may_ have pre-gamed a little too hard.  
   
"Dude, what?" Elias asks, blushing. "No, of course not."  
   
"We are dating," Victor adds. "No marriage though, uh, at least, not yet."  
   
"Holy shit, really?" Brock says. "Congrats, man! I was wondering when you two were gonna figure it out."  
   
Victor is a little surprised, but then again, Brock's never been the most observant. He'd probably say that even if Victor had just announced that he's dating Justin Bieber - it doesn’t mean anything.  
   
"Yeah, it's about time!" Jeff yells. "Can't believe you didn't tell me, Lindy!"  
   
"We're telling you now," Victor says, silently questioning why that statement was directed at Elias, but he chalks it up to the two of them being especially close and Jeff being a little drunk.  
   
"Congrats, guys," Nordy adds. "Guess that makes me the third Swedish wheel, then."  
   
They all laugh, and after that, the conversation shifts back away from anything remotely serious. Victor shoots Elias a look, gloating about having been right, and Elias offers him a small grin in return.  
   
-  
   
Over the next few weeks, they tell the rest of the team. They meet up with the few guys who are left in Raleigh, but most of them have to be told via text since they're well into the offseason at this point. Nobody seems to have a problem with two of their teammates dating, and Victor is glad. Sure, they're not _actually_ dating, but it's still important to keep the team atmosphere positive, and it's nice to confirm that everyone on the team is chill. Besides, if he were to ever date a teammate for real, he knows they'd all have his back, so he counts that as a win.  
   
When he had agreed to this, Victor hadn't considered its implications outside of the team. Maybe he had thought he'd only have to pretend in team settings, maybe he just hadn't thought at all, but it's not until his mom calls him to confirm his flight information that he realizes that he might have to take this even further.  
   
"Are you seeing anyone?"  
   
Victor nearly chokes on his water when his mom asks him the question.  
   
"Uh…" he says, but as the seconds pass without him denying it, he realizes his mistake.  
   
"Oh, Victor!" _Crap_. "Who is it, dear? When can we meet her? Or him?"  
   
He's glad his mom is accepting, and so eager to meet whoever he's dating, really - or, he would be, if he were actually dating someone.  
   
_I'm not dating anyone_ , is what he should say, but instead, he says "Elias."  
   
"Your teammate Elias?" His mom asks, and Victor confirms it. "Oh, honey, you'll have to tell me all the details! He's Swedish too, right? Isn't he from Gävle? That isn't far! Oh, you have to bring him to meet us this summer!"  
   
"I'll ask him about it," Victor says, even though he knows he should be lying and saying Elias is busy. What is _wrong_ with him? They aren't actually dating, and the ruse is meant for management; there's no need to bring their parents into it, especially not during the summer.  
   
"Wonderful!" His mom says, and Victor knows it's too late to back out now. It's too soon to stage a breakup, so he'll just have to hope Elias is okay with this.  
   
-  
   
As it turns out, Elias is surprisingly chill about the whole thing. He tells Victor that it's a small favor in comparison to what Victor's done for him, which Victor isn't quite sure is true, but before he can protest, Elias is asking him how to act around his parents. Victor tells him to just act like he's in love with him and be polite; he hasn't taken anyone to meet his parents in years, and they're already overjoyed just because he's bringing someone.  
   
The night finally arrives in mid-June. It's almost Midsummer, and as is usual around this time of year, everyone's in high spirits. Victor knows that there's nothing to worry about; his parents are going to love Elias even if he forgets to hold Victor's hand and kiss his cheek like they talked about. He still feels a little nervous, though - probably just because he usually did get nervous in situations like this, and it's hard to remind himself that this isn't real because he's so committed to pretending it is. It _feels_ real, when they're pretending.  
   
Elias does remember to hold his hand when they arrive at Victor's parents' house, and he does remember to kiss him on the cheek in front of them a few times. Halfway through dinner, Elias even taps Victor's foot under the table, and they engage in a silent game of footsie that Victor knows his mother is watching in delight. This hadn't been part of the plan, but Victor silently applauds Elias' quick thinking.  
   
After dinner, his mother asks him to come to the kitchen with him, alone, and Victor assumes it's to talk about Elias. He feigns disappointment at having to unlace his hand from Elias' before he goes, and once they're alone, she pulls him into a tight hug.  
   
"I'm so proud of you," she whispers, and Victor just hugs her back. "I've been worried about you, you know; it's been a while since you brought someone home, and I was starting to think that maybe you were still hung up on - well, you know, or maybe that the guys over there were giving you crap. They aren't, are they?"  
   
"No, no," Victor reassures her. "They're all very supportive." That much is true, at least.  
   
"Oh, what a relief," she says, hugging him even tighter before finally letting go. "I think he's good for you. You seem so happy, Vic. I haven't seen you like this in - well, I don't even know how long."  
   
"He's perfect," Victor says. "And you're right. He does make me happy; he's just - he's such a positive force, you know? I love that about him. He's the absolute sweetest guy, and I - I'm lucky to have him."  
   
Victor is surprised to find that he doesn't have to lie. Sure, maybe he's exaggerating a little - he wouldn't call Elias "perfect", and he doesn't actually "have him" - but Elias _is_ a great guy, and a good actor, too, and there's no one Victor would rather pretend to be in love with.  
   
"Oh, honey," his mom says, hugging him once again before rejoining Victor's father and Elias in the dining room. Victor follows, and he can tell from the smile on Elias' face that his father must not have given too harsh of a shovel talk.  
   
By the time they leave, his parents have already friended Elias on Facebook and made him promise to come by again soon, as if it weren't already obvious enough that they love him. Once they make it to Victor's car, Elias pulls his hand away, no longer needing to pretend without an audience, and Victor finds himself missing its warmth.  
   
"I think they like me," Elias says. "Your dad told me that I'm the best significant other you've ever introduced and that he didn't even feel the need to threaten me because he doesn't think I'll break your heart. I mean, he did anyway, but his heart wasn't in it, you know?"  
   
"Guess it went really well, then," Victor says.  
   
He must be one hell of an actor - Elias, too, for that matter. His parents hadn't been this fond of any of his previous attempts at dating, and he had actually been in love with most of them. Victor's not sure where he learned how to act - it certainly wasn't any of the Canes' promotional videos - but it's a skill he's glad to have. He's heard the term "method acting" before, wonders if that might be what he's doing - after all, sometimes, he finds himself really feeling the emotions he's pretending to have. Like when he looks at Elias, tries to turn on the heart eyes, and feels a rush of adoration, or when he talks about how much he loves him and finds himself barely even exaggerating, or when Elias doesn't talk to him for a few days and he genuinely misses him, misses pretending to date him.  
   
It doesn't mean he _actually_ loves Elias, of course. He's just a really good actor. Too good, maybe.  
   
-  
   
Victor sees the news on Twitter a few hours after it happens. Hanny's been traded to Calgary, a one-for-one trade, and Dougie Hamilton is now a Hurricane. The fans keep mentioning museums, and Victor wonders if he missed a new meme, but he figures he can just ask Jeff about it.  
   
He sends a text to Hanny wishing him luck in Calgary, and puts his phone away.  
   
Privately, Victor is glad it's not Elias going to the Flames - not that their arrangement would allow for that, of course, not without Victor.  
   
He's glad it's not Jeff, either, but that doesn't last as long as he'd like.  
   
-  
   
The rest of the summer is mostly a blur. Victor goes on a few vacations with friends, does PT, trains, hangs out with Elias, catches up on _The Good Place_ , swims, spends time with his family - just ordinary summer activities, really. He wouldn't normally spend so much time with Elias, but they have to keep up appearances, and they mostly hang out alone so it's all familiar territory. 

Elias signs his contract in July; it’s not as much as he could have gotten, but he’s happy with the amount. He doesn’t get a no-trade clause, though, so Victor knows he might be in this even longer than he had originally thought.  
   
By August, it's time to head back to Raleigh for training camp. Victor and Elias book the same flight - again, just to keep up appearances - so they share a ride to the airport. Everything is going just fine; the traffic is light, so they make it to the airport ahead of schedule, get through security easily, and find some comfortable, relatively isolated seats to wait for their flight to board.  
   
Victor really shouldn't be surprised when the flight is delayed for four hours.  
   
It could be worse, of course. The delay could have been longer. Worse, they could have even booked a flight that would give them no leeway in the case of a delay - thankfully, the one they booked gives them several days before training camp starts, so they have nothing to worry about other than trying to pass four hours.  
   
It's mid-afternoon, and neither of them are tired. They hadn't had to get up early to make the flight, and they'd already gotten coffee despite not really needing it, so a nap is out of the question.  
   
Neither of them are really in the mood to play Candy Crush or read Sportsnet for four hours, so they end up chatting most of the time. The topics range from the World Cup and the upcoming season to stories from their childhood and what they’d do if they’re ever outed. When Victor hears a lady over an intercom saying that Group A can begin boarding, he's shocked that four hours have already passed. He had thought it would be horribly boring, just like every other delay he's had to sit through, but Elias is just an easy guy to talk to.  
   
Shortly after the flight takes off, Elias ends up falling asleep despite saying he isn’t tired. He has a travel pillow with him, but his head falls onto Victor's shoulder anyway, and even though he knows he should move it, Victor can't help but to think that he quite likes the feeling, and besides, Elias is cute when he sleeps.  
   
Did he - ? No, no, the acting must be going too far. Victor can't be -  
   
Or maybe he _can_.  
   
-  
   
In hindsight, the beginning of an overnight flight with Elias' head on his shoulder is neither the best time nor the best place for Victor to realize that he's fallen in love with his fake boyfriend. The realization makes it quite difficult to fall asleep, and by the time they land in Newark, he already feels like he needs to sleep for a whole day. They still have two hours until they get to Raleigh, though, so he'll have to wait. And play it cool, which is going to be significantly harder to do now that Victor realizes that he isn't actually some sort of natural actor.  
   
Elias isn't fully awake yet, having slept through the whole flight, so Victor hopes that will be enough to keep him from noticing if Victor is acting awkward, which he isn't _trying_ to do, but, well, he apparently hadn't been trying to act like he's in love with Elias either.  
   
The layover in Newark is short, leaving them no time to do anything other than get to their next flight.  
   
"I'm staying awake this time," Elias insists once they're seated on the plane. "I'm not tired enough, and besides, we still have a few days to adjust to the time."  
   
Victor, who fully intends to sleep through the afternoon even though it won't be an appropriate time in either time zone, goes along with his reasoning without hesitation. He's exhausted enough that he could go to sleep in seconds if he tries, but he's afraid he'll end up using Elias' shoulder as a pillow, and even though they are kind of dating, now that the feelings are real, well - he can't have Elias actually _knowing_. If there were any chance that Elias returned his feelings, then yeah, sure, Victor would tell him. Of course, if Elias were really in love with Victor, why wouldn't he have just asked him out for real? Or, even better, asked someone else in an attempt at making Victor jealous? If Victor were in that situation, that's what he would do.  
   
But if Elias had asked someone else, surely it would've been Jeff, and then - would Jeff still be here? Would either of them still be here?   
"You staying awake too?" Elias asks, and from his raised eyebrow, Victor guesses that this isn't the first time he's asked. "You seem a little off; you must be exhausted. Did you sleep at all on the way over?"  
   
"Yeah, no, I'm staying awake," Victor says. "I'd rather just sleep as long as I can once I get home."  
   
"Okay!" Elias smiles, and Victor forces himself to think about Bettman so he won't blush. "You down for a movie?"  
   
-  
   
They're not even a quarter of the way through _To All the Boys I've Loved Before_ \- Elias' choice, as he had loved it the first two times, despite claiming he isn't much of a rom-com guy - when Victor falls asleep.  
   
He wakes up exactly as he had feared, with his head resting on Elias' shoulder, and even more concerning is that Elias is running his fingers through Victor's hair. It feels good - no, it feels _amazing_ \- but it's too much. Elias has always been skilled at crossing the line between bros and maybe-not-just-bros, so Victor knows it doesn't mean anything, but it _should_ , and he wants it to, and he hates that it's never going to.  
   
The credits start, and Elias looks down at him, a sappy smile on his face - from the movie, of course. He sees that Victor is awake, and immediately pulls his hand away.  
   
"Sleep well?"  
   
"Mm," Victor mumbles, sitting up and running a hand through his hair, as though to brush against the ghost of Elias' touch. He yawns, trying to act like he's even more tired than he really is. "How was the movie?"  
   
"It’s so fucking cute," Elias gushes, and starts going on about Korean yogurt and hot tubs. Victor half-listens, mainly focusing on how adorable Elias looks when he's excited, and - _fuck_ , no, he can't be thinking like that. "It just gets better with every watch, you know? Kind of like _Sons of Anarchy_."  
   
"Only you would compare a rom-com to _Sons_ ," Victor laughs.  
   
Elias begins to defend his choice as the plane lands, saying something about how genre doesn't matter when talking about re-watch value, which Victor thinks is fair enough, and going on about the best parts of both pieces of media, but before they can continue the conversation, it's time to get off the plane.  
   
Soon enough, Victor is back home, and just as he had planned, he drops his suitcase by the door and gets in bed as quickly as he can. He's comfortable, and still tired enough that he knows he'll fall asleep soon, but after the long journey from Sweden, he can't help but to feel a little lonely.  
   
-  
   
As often as they hang out for the sake of keeping up appearances, they never do anything particularly romantic. During the summer, it didn't matter; their teammates weren't asking what they were doing, but now they appear to have collectively decided that Victor and Elias are their favorite source of entertainment. Not that they mean any harm; Brock tells Victor that the reason he keeps asking about them is because he's been waiting so long for them to get together that he feels personally invested, and besides, they're obviously the cutest couple on the team.  
   
Regardless, Brock is getting tired of Victor telling him that he and Elias aren't doing anything special, just hanging out, every single time he asks, so it's time to change things up.  
   
"What are you doing?" Elias says when he arrives at Brock's house to find him in the kitchen peeling sweet potatoes. "You don't cook."  
   
"I do sometimes," Victor insists, even though it’s probably happened twice this year. "I'm making us dinner."  
   
"Aw," Elias coos, smiling at him. "You're the sweetest fake boyfriend ever."  
   
"Yeah, well, hate to break it to you, but I'm only doing it to satisfy Brock," Victor admits. "I guess that makes me an asshole fake boyfriend."  
   
Victor thinks he sees Elias' smile drop a little, but it comes back as he laughs, though it sounds almost strained.  
   
"Stop!" Elias yells, killing the moment. Victor freezes his hand, and Elias comes over to take the potato peeler from him. "You were doing it wrong; you almost cut yourself," he says. "Here, let me."  
   
Victor moves aside, letting Elias take over sweet potato peeling duty, and watches him. He's focused on the potatoes, no longer making conversation with Victor. His brow is furrowed, and his tongue is just barely poking out from his lips. Victor looks away, trying to think about anything other than how cute Elias looks, but then he starts thinking about how much he'd love to make dinner with Elias every night, to have him teach Victor more about cooking, since he apparently knows more than he lets on. The situation is more domestic than Victor can handle, and _fuck_ , what he wouldn't give to have this for real.  
   
"You okay?"  
   
Victor blinks, coming back into reality, and looks over at Elias. He's finished peeling the potatoes, and is looking at Victor with concern.  
   
"Yeah, yeah," Victor says. "Just zoned out a little."  
   
"You've been doing that a lot lately," Elias says, and Victor shrugs. "It's not about the season, is it?"  
   
"What?" Victor balks. "No, I'm not…" The thought occurs to him that Elias isn't going to leave him alone without getting something out of him, so he decides to just take the out. "I'm a little anxious, I guess, but it'll be fine."  
   
"Exactly. It'll be fine," Elias says. "You’re fully healed, so don’t worry about that. We've got such a great group of guys, and with all the changes we've made, and the changes we _haven't_ made," he pauses, pointing to himself and Victor with a little smirk. "This is our year. I'm sure of it."  
   
-  
   
The preseason comes and goes, and with it comes the home opener. It's a tough game; as much as they control the shots, they just can't seem to get one past Greiss. It's reminiscent of the identity they're supposed to have left behind, and Victor has to remind himself that it's only the first game of the season; it doesn't mean much. Near the end, Jordo scores, and they end up in overtime. There are some close calls - Svech and Sepe are getting particularly frustrated with all the robberies - but about two minutes in, Victor finds an opening, passes to Elias, and the puck goes in the back of the net.  
   
They've won it, then.  
   
Elias celebrates by throwing himself into Victor, joined momentarily by the rest of their teammates. It may only be one game, and it certainly doesn't represent the whole season, but it feels like a new beginning nonetheless.  
   
-  
   
To say the season goes well would be a slight understatement. They’re not at the top of their division, but they're not far from it, Svech leads all rookies in almost every category, and Elias is on pace to set new career highs in goals, assists, and points. Victor is having a particularly good season himself; while he may not be overachieving like Elias, he's making more shots than he's missing and giving a solid performance every night. He's certainly not at much risk for being traded.  
   
That, of course, is where the problem lies. With Elias doing so well, on a fairly team-friendly contract to boot, Waddell would have to be out of his mind to accept a trade offer.  
   
Victor puts it off, because he does enjoy spending so much more time with Elias than before, but he knows he can't wait forever. As much as he'd like to believe that Elias will change his mind and want to date him for real, Victor knows that it's never going to happen, and if he keeps holding on, he'll never be able to move on.  
   
He broaches the topic one evening, the two of them chilling in Victor's house playing Fortnite and talking shit. They get taken out, as they often do, and before they enter another match, Victor bites the bullet.  
   
"I think we can end this now."  
   
Elias raises an eyebrow. "We just started, bro," he says, and Victor realizes that he definitely didn't get the point.  
   
"Not the game, Lindy," he says. Elias puts the controller down.  
   
"You don't mean - us?" Elias asks. "Why?"  
   
"You've seen how you've been doing, right?" Victor says, laughing a little in disbelief. "They're not going to trade you."  
   
Elias is quiet.  
   
"I mean, we can't keep this up forever, right?" Victor adds.  
   
"No," Elias says, his voice sharper than before. "I guess we can't."  
   
He gets up, going toward the door, and as soon as Victor realizes what's happening, he goes after him.  
   
"Lindy, what are you - "  
   
"I'm not in the mood," Elias says as he puts on his coat. "Too tired."  
   
With that, he walks out, leaving Victor alone in the house with no idea what just happened.  
   
-  
   
Victor leaves him alone, figuring he doesn't want to talk to him. They have tomorrow off, but the day after that, they have a morning practice. He still doesn't know what Elias was upset about, but he hopes that'll be enough time to get over it. He can't even apologize because he has no idea what went wrong.  
   
The next morning, he gets a call from Jeff.  
   
"Hey Jeff," he answers almost immediately after it starts ringing.  
   
"Victor, what the _fuck_ did you do?"  
   
"Uh…" Victor says. "What?"  
   
"I don't know what's wrong because he won't tell me, but Lindy is really upset and all I could get out of him was that it has something to do with you, so you'd better - shit, you didn't cheat on him, did you?" Jeff asks. "I swear to God, I will fly down there and - "  
   
"What? No!" Victor defends himself. "I have no idea what I did. We were just having a perfectly normal conversation and he said he was tired and left. That's all." He's leaving out a lot of important details there, but he isn't sure whether they're supposed to tell people it was all fake now that it's over. Probably not, even if it is Jeff.  
   
"You seriously have no idea?" Jeff asks, sounding entirely unconvinced.  
   
"None," Victor says.  
   
"Come on, Vic, that's bullshit. I tried calling him this morning, right before you, and I could tell he had just been crying."  
   
"Maybe something happened, shit, I should - "  
   
"He specifically said it was because of you," Jeff reminds him.  
   
"Fuck, okay," Victor sighs. "I may have broken up with him. Technically."  
   
"You did _what_?" Jeff yells, and Victor pulls the phone away from his ear. "Victor Rask, you fucking dumbass, do you have any idea - "  
   
"Jeff, stop, just listen for a minute," Victor says. Jeff stops, so he continues. "I'm really not supposed to tell you this, but it wasn't actually real. We were just pretending so he wouldn't - so he wouldn't get traded. And now he's doing so well, so I figured it was time we just end it. I have no idea why that would upset him."  
   
"Wait, wait, wait," Jeff says. "You were faking it? The whole time?"  
   
"Yeah," Victor confirms.  
   
"I can't believe you two," Jeff laughs humorlessly. "Fucking hell, no wonder he's so upset."  
   
"What?"  
   
"You can't possibly be that dumb," Jeff says.  
   
"I don't know - "  
   
"I'm done with this conversation. Just go talk to him."  
   
"Wait, Jeff - "  
   
Victor hears a beep, and when he takes the phone away from his ear, the screen indicates that Jeff has indeed hung up on him.  
   
It certainly sounded as though Jeff was trying to insinuate that Elias has actual feelings for Victor. He isn't really sure how else to interpret that - and Elias had been _crying_? Over their fake breakup? But if he really _does_ have feelings, he would've told Victor from the start. He wouldn't have just walked out - would he? No, no, it doesn't make any sense.  
   
Something else must have happened, something he just isn't ready to tell Jeff about. That has to be it.  
   
-  
   
Victor gets to Elias' house as fast as he can, only slowing down in the areas the cops usually patrol. As unsure as he is that he's ready to face Elias again, he knows that something is seriously wrong, and he can't just leave him alone like that. Even if they aren't on fully good terms at the moment, they're still best friends, and it pains Victor to think that Elias is hurting in some way.  
   
Elias opens the door slowly, cautiously. When he's opened it enough to reveal his face, Victor can see the red in his cheeks and the puffiness in his eyes. Jeff hadn't been lying.  
   
"What do you want?" Elias asks quietly.  
   
"I just want to know what's wrong," Victor says, keeping his voice soft as well. "I can tell you're hurting, but I have no idea why, and I don't know if it's me or - or what."  
   
Elias opens the door further, stepping out of the way to allow Victor to come in. He makes his way back to the living room, sitting on the couch and pulling a blanket over himself. Victor sits on the other end, not wanting to get too close in case Elias really is mad at him.  
   
"I'm assuming Jeff called you," Elias says.  
   
Victor nods. "He told me I did something, so I told him about - you know, last night, but - it's not because of that, is it?"  
   
Elias pulls the blanket over his head, not saying anything. Victor decides to just give him a moment, leaving him sitting in awkward silence as he waits.  
   
"It's not your fault," Elias finally says, pulling the blanket back down. "Jeff misinterpreted what I said."  
   
"Okay," Victor says, feeling relief come over him, though he's still worried. "Then what is it?"  
   
Elias sighs. "I shouldn't have ever asked you to do this."  
   
"What?" Victor says. "I told you it was more than worth it to keep you here, though. It's seriously not a problem."  
   
"That's just the thing," Elias says, tugging furiously at the ends of the blanket. "It was a problem. Because I - I wanted it to be real."  
   
Victor blinks. He must have heard that wrong.  
   
"I’ve wanted it to be real for a long time now, and Jeff is the only person I ever told before it all started; that’s why he was so mad. I know you were just trying to be a good friend, and I shouldn’t have taken advantage of that. I should have been honest with you, or at least just never asked in the first place, and I'm sorry. But, yeah, that's why I'm upset. Because I - I like you, romantically, maybe even - you know. And then you started acting distant, and I thought maybe you’d found out, and my stupid fucking fantasy is over now, even though I'm an idiot for ever asking you in the first place because I knew it would just make things worse, and now - "  
   
"Hold up, stop," Victor says. "That's what this is about? You're - you're not joking? You actually - "  
   
"Yes, seriously. God, Vic, do you ever _listen_? You should probably just - just get out. I'm sorry."  
   
Victor gets up, moving to sit as close as he possibly can to Elias without sitting on top of him. "I'm not going anywhere," he says. "If I had known, I would've - "  
   
"Stop acting like you care," Elias says, his voice wavering a little.  
   
"Elias, just listen to me," Victor says. "I'm trying to say that I feel the same way."  
   
"Fuck - wait, you - you're serious," Elias says.  
   
"Completely," Victor says. "Now, when you asked me, I don't think I was there yet, but over the summer, well - something changed. I realized I never had to even pretend to be in love with you when we were with other people, and I missed you even with as much time as we spent together, and then the flight here happened, and that was - that was a lot. That was when I finally realized, and then I started acting distant, because I didn’t want you to find out because I thought you’d never feel the same. It was getting hard to keep it under wraps, and I thought if you liked me, you'd have just said so in the beginning, so I thought - well, I thought that if I ended it, I could try to get over you, but now…" Victor pauses, taking Elias' hand in his own. "Let's make it real. If you want that."  
   
"God, yes, more than anything," Elias says. He starts to lean toward Victor, and Victor, seeing what he's about to do, comes forward to meet his lips. It's soft, and slow, and nothing like the cheek kisses they'd exchanged in front of family and friends, and it's everything Victor has dreamt of. He deepens the kiss, then, and Elias responds eagerly. They break apart, Elias taking the time to throw the blanket aside and moving so that he's straddling Victor's lap. He tilts his head down, and they're kissing again. Victor slides his hands under Elias' shirt, running them up his sides, then gently pushes Elias down and moves so that he's on top of him. They stay in that position for a while, making out but not going any further, and Victor can hardly believe that this is really happening.  
   
They pull apart eventually, and shift so that they're sitting up, Elias' head resting on Victor's shoulder. Victor has his arm around Elias, and his body pressed as close as possible, trying to feel every inch of him that he can just to remind himself that this is real; Elias really does feel the same way about him, and on top of that, he's his _real_ boyfriend now.  
   
"We are such dumbasses," Elias says, breaking Victor's sentimental moment, and they both laugh.  
   
"We could've been doing this months ago," Victor says, laughing even harder.  
   
When their laughter fades, Elias pulls his head back up, looking Victor in the eye and smiling. "I'm so glad I have you now," he says.  
   
"So am I," Victor says. "About fucking time."  
   
They both laugh, and Elias pulls him closer, kissing him once again. Victor had already been optimistic about the future, what with the season going so well, but now that he has Elias, he knows that it's brighter than ever before.

**Author's Note:**

> Now that this is no longer anonymous I have to plug my [tumblr](http://www.cjmasim.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
